Bodhisattva. For the non-Buddhist, it is almost certainly a foreign term. Maybe you recall the name of an old Steely Dan album, at best. Put simply, bodhisattva is “a Sanskrit term for anyone or anything motivated by great compassion.” It is a combination of two separate Sanskrit concepts: Bodhi—meaning awakening or enlightenment Sattva—meaning existence, reality [...]

We rarely acknowledge the pelvic floor...It's like a dark room no one wants to talk about...and yet, it is a foundational element of the body. Pelvic floor meditation is meant to bring you emotionally, physically and spiritually into this oft overlooked area. Imagine Jizo, the Earth Womb Bodhisattva, holding this part of your body with kindness and patience, [...]

Sometimes there are surprises when I choose stillness. I opted out of Memorial Day traffic this morning and was on posting in my jizoandchibi Facebook sangha, when a box appeared from my friend Christina Parker, adding me to a group. I always opt out of groups immediately. Too distracting. This one, however, cried out for [...]

I don’t like noise. That is putting it mildly. So is saying I’m sensitive to noise. I’ve been this way my entire life. So I went looking for a solution. In my meditation, I am encouraged to welcome my anger toward noise, note it and breathe it out. That hasn’t helped. I’ve tried it hundreds [...]

It’s easy to get inside your head and stay there. But so much anxiety and depression is governed by our thoughts. This is the paradox of living in a fast-moving world. We need to slow down to break out of the cycle of anxiety and depression. […]